Italy recruits to fight the EU. Just don’t mention Putin.

John Follain and Konrad Krasuski, Bloomberg Published 11:26 am PST, Wednesday, January 9, 2019 Matteo Salvini in Warsaw on Jan. 9, 2019. Matteo Salvini in Warsaw on Jan. 9, 2019. Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Piotr Malecki. Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Piotr Malecki. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Matteo Salvini in Warsaw on Jan. 9, 2019. Matteo Salvini in Warsaw on Jan. 9, 2019. Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Piotr Malecki. Italy recruits to fight the EU. Just don’t mention Putin. 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Italy’s nationalist-in-chief is on a recruiting drive for what he calls “the battle of battles.” The first fight will be to unite the troops. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini is seeking to forge a Euroskeptic pact ahead of elections to the European Parliament in May and headed to Warsaw on Wednesday for talks with Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland’s governing party. The two countries will be protagonists in a “new European spring,” Salvini declared in the Polish capital. “A dialogue has begun and we proposed a common program to offer also to other European movements and parties on issues like growth, security, family and the Christian roots of Europe,” he said. But away from talk there are key differences that make any alliance look more superficial than the united front being championed by President Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon. Conflict is sure to emerge when true believers – or those who portray themselves as such – confront the compromises… [Read full story]